Evernote vs Roam Research — Which One Wins?
Pick Evernote if: People who clip a lot of web content and want powerful search across all their notes
Pick Roam Research if: Researchers and writers who think in connected ideas and want block-level linking
Our take: Evernote is easier to pick up, but Roam Research is more powerful long-term.
| Evernote | Roam Research | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free with 60MB/mo uploads and 1 device | Personal $14.99/mo | No free plan | Pro $15/mo |
| Features | Web clipper, Document scanning, Search inside images and PDFs, Task management, Calendar integration | Bidirectional linking, Block-level references, Daily notes workflow, Graph overview, Custom CSS and JavaScript |
| Best for | People who clip a lot of web content and want powerful search across all their notes | Researchers and writers who think in connected ideas and want block-level linking |
| Learning Curve | Easy | Hard |
The Real Difference
Both offer free tiers, so the real question is what you get when you start paying.
Evernote stands out with Web clipper and Document scanning. Roam Research counters with Bidirectional linking and Block-level references.
Evernote's Achilles heel: has been declining for years — frequent price hikes, lost features, and the free plan is now nearly unusable at 1 device. Roam Research's: no free plan, web-only (no native desktop), and the community has shrunk as obsidian and logseq grew. Pick whichever weakness you can live with.
Bottom Line
If you value web clipper and people who clip a, go with Evernote. If researchers and writers who matters more, Roam Research is your pick. Neither is a bad choice — but one will fit your workflow better.